On February 21, 2017 Vancouver Police responded to the report of an auto theft in which the victim reported his construction company vehicle had been stolen which contained numerous tools and pieces of construction equipment. On February 26, 2017, the victim reported that they saw several of their stolen tools listed for sale online.
Detectives from the Vancouver Police Neighborhood Response Team West and East were assigned to the case and a meeting was arranged with the seller to purchase tools that were listed in the online ads. Detectives were at the meeting location when two males arrived with multiple stolen tools in their vehicle, many which were positively identified as belonging to the victim. As the transaction was taking place, Detectives moved in and took the two males into custody after a short foot pursuit.
Jason E Newkirk, 44, of Lake Oswego, was arrested for three counts of Trafficking Stolen Property I, Possession of Stolen Property I, Possession of a Controlled Substance-Meth, Resisting Arrest, Obstructing, and Possession of a Stolen Vehicle. David R. McCune, 39, of Vancouver was arrested for Trafficking Stolen Property, Possession of Stolen Property I, Possession of a Controlled Substance-Meth and Resisting Arrest. Both were booked into the Clark County Jail.
The investigation also led to the location of a storage unit associated with one of the suspects. The storage unit contained a large quantity of tools and construction equipment.
In total for the investigation, Detectives recovered 261 stolen items and have been able to return just over 100 items to the rightful owners, with an estimated value of $26,000. Detectives located six companies that were victims, with five of them having had their company vans stolen only to be located a short distance away with all the tools removed.
There are approximately 160 items whose owners have yet to be identified and that have not been claimed. These items are posted on the Vancouver Police Department website: http://www.cityofvancouver.us/police/page/stolen-recovered-property-page-1-4. None of the property listed will be available for public viewing. The Vancouver Police Department will not accommodate walk-in traffic for individuals wishing to reclaim property who have not completed the proof of ownership steps below and been contacted by the Vancouver Police Department.
Here are the required steps:
1. You must provide a police report number, insurance claim, or other documentation of where the item(s) were reported stolen as well as a description of the item(s).
2. You must have identifying numbers / serial numbers / markings / etc. and a valid way to identify the property. Property will not be released without adequate proof of ownership.
3. Each item is marked with a tag and an Item Number. Please have this Item Number available when leaving your phone message.
If you believe your property is posted on the Vancouver Police Department website, please contact Vancouver Police Detective Clesson Werner at (360) 487-7541. Please provide detailed information in your message and be prepared to provide proof of ownership as described above in points 1 and 2 and the Item Number as described in point 3.